I’m preparing for upgrading to the 7800x3d, but the one thing I’m not very read up on is thermal paste. I know some perform better than others, but have heard some of the best performing ones can dry out quickly and stop working as well. Any suggestions on a non-conductive paste (no interest in liquid metal) that does well with temps while also lasting a reasonable time?
My plan is to install my current Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2 cooler on the new processor just to see how it handles. I saw a review site that compared various coolers on a 7900x, one being an AMD stock wraith cooler from another processor, just to test the claims of poor performance if not putting top level cooling to it. The results looked promising if you have even moderate cooling ability, so I figure why not try it myself. If the current cooler works well, then it’ll save, or at least delay spending $150 on an AIO. Plus I simply like to make the most of what I have, especially when it’s not optimal equipment.
That’s why I’m looking for a paste that will work better than average to bring temps down, to help my current cooler perform at its best.
The Wraith is a good cooler but maybe not that good. When upgrading from a 3800x to a 5800x I settled for a €45 Thermaltake Toughair 510 and have been nothing but impressed with how cool and quiet my PC now runs … Who actually cares that it’s got no flashing lights
I read a ton of reviews and forum posts last year when building my Core i9 system and the answer you’re looking for is Arctic MX-5.
I just used it for my SFF build as well, and the thermals are pretty awesome. 68C in a SFF case with only two fans on the AIO cooler and a 4070 Ti card right next to the CPU. I was expecting way worse. The MX-4 has to be doing its stuff for the rig to keep those temps while playing MSFS at 4K.
I like to use Noctua H2. Good consistency, is not too soft neither too hard and it’s easy to apply.
Does not seem to dry out over time, but I haven’t let it on for more than a year each time.
I would suggest a better cooler, especially for MSFS which is more demanding from the CPU than most other games in general.
Very recently I wanted to buy more Noctua paste, but being out of stock, I went looking on reviews for alternatives.
The MX-5 seems is discontinued by Arctic, having been replaced by MX-6.
According to reviewers, MX-5 is too thick and too sticky. It’s a mess to remove and my experience with sticky paste they can even pull the CPU out of its socket, at least the AM4.
I end up getting the MX-6, which is also on the thick side, but not sticky as the MX-5, although I haven’t yet tried it myself.
The MX-6 is also getting good reviews, although differences are minimal.
Arctic as mentioned or thermal grizzly, I tend to reapply every couple of years or so.
Good case for airflow and additional case fans also worth mentioning.
That’s what I used last time I changed CPU. I didn’t spread it, I just used a fingernail sized dollop right in the centre, and let the waterblock do the spreading, turning the four screws in sequence, corner to corner, a few turns at a time to keep it level.
Old hat method from single/dual core when cpu’s warmed at a comparitive snails pace and therefore heat would dissipate evenly. The problem with this method is that you cannot be sure that the corners will get their adequate share.
I have a Be Quiet! 500fx case with 3x120mm fans behind a mesh front panel, so airflow isn’t an issue. Part of my problem is how to proceed with the graphics card, which would be next on the list. The one I really wanted wouldn’t fit with an AIO radiator up front, and the top maxes out at a 240mm rad. I could go with a larger air cooler as well, but part of me simply wants to try water cooling. So I need to see what I’m working with once I get the first stage done, meaning using my current cooler for a bit anyway.
I had forgot about the Arctic pastes, so I’ll have to go check them back out.
I clean, clean, clean the heat spreaders on the chip and the cooler, then apply a very thin, even layer on the chip. The purpose of thermal paste is to fill in microgaps on the surfaces. If you tighten a heatsink properly, things should work well.
I used to do this method of a pea size amount in the centre and let it spread under pressure, and to be honest, it was covering pretty much all of the CPU, but of course this is only visible the next time I pulled out the cooler.
Nowadays I prefer to spread just a thin layer over the whole surface of the CPU.
Even if doing nothing for the CPU, at least I remove the doubt in my mind that the corners may be missing.
i have been using Noctua’s thermal paste for everything for a while. Main reason is the performance which is top notch and life of the termal paste is long too.
Apply it and forget until your next upgrade. No need to renew it ever 2 years or etc.
Used it on plenty of AMD and Intel CPUs and all my graphics cards. i have one approaching to 5 year limit and one around 3 years still good.
They were all high end Nvidia GPUs like GTX 680, gtx980, 1080, 480 etc both air and liquid cooled. Even now i am using Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 with Noctua NH2 with X pattern, zero issues.
My advice either use X pattern or apply thin layer. Single dot has never been good for me.
Indeed. When I upgraded my 9900K to am 11900K, I found the paste had made its way right to the very edges of the lid. Very little of it was left uncovered. I’ve never had heat issues with this method.
I have long been the go-to person when family and friends need a fix, upgrade or maintainence but a few years back I wrecked a “friend of a friend’s” top of the range mobo with an errant blob of arctic silver and despite every known cleaning hack I could find, in the end I had to replace the board. Nowadays I keep my bench much better organized.
Fortunately no harm done but I now have to be extra careful when servicing my PC.
